Future “Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna get” This quote from the movie Forrest Gump can play a theme within this paper. An ongoing theme within my 19 years is success. To which I can see myself being successful in my future. After college and graduate school, I plan to be the best I can be. The economy might be hard an unsteady for some but I plan to shine brighter than family members and colleges. I'm currently majoring in criminal justice, although thats what I always thought I would major in. Life takes unexpected turns. Lately i’ve taken a fond interest in education. Do I see myself being a school teacher, cop, prosecutor lawyer? I don’t know anymore. In highschool I was always told that I should know what I wanna be by my senior year. I always felt pressured to just pick something. Because what’s the point of going to college if you don’t know what you want to do? Past October 1996, the day my mother thought she’d never see me again…..Well before I get into detail about that disturbing day lets talk about the beautiful necklace I received. i was 14 and had just came home from a long day of school. My mother and aunt were standing at the bus stop waiting for me with a gift bag that looked to be like an early birthday present. Running off the big yellow school bus I grab the bag and pull out a brown wooden necklace which was passed down a couple generations and somehow ended up in my easily misplacable hands.. It was pretty weird yet thoughtful, a not so impressed look took over my face with a sarcastic smile. I asked what this was for and I while walking home I got the news of a lifetime. October 20th 1996 I was kidnapped. I mean yeah it sounds so silly and unreal even I had a hard time believing it. Why don’t I remember my own kidnapping you might ask ? Because I was only 10 months old! The remembrance of a couple years ago when my grandmother was looking at a DVD of an old recorded news broadcast from 1996, I remembered the name Porter on the screen, also helicopters flying around like eagles as if they were searching for something important. But at such a young age I was not so interested in the news. So I put two and two together and made it so easy to understand. My jaw touched the floor, not literally of course. I felt a bone chilling shudder run through my body as I thought of myself as a helpless baby, kidnapped by a complete stranger and separated from my family. An article was handed over to me as I skimmed over it and read little parts of it out loud but definitely not the whole thing. Reading never excited me so finishing a book, article or sometimes even a sentence seemed too much. Flabbergasted to say the least I felt as if I was being lied to. As if I was on the show Pranked. “Where’s Ashton Kutcher?” I thought in my head.After re-reading the article I came across my aunt’s name. “Why would my aunt have anything to do with this situation at all?” I continued to read and blurted out, “WOW, You did this?” On the article I came across the bone chilling truth. My aunt had left me strapped in an unsupervised car. I mean key in the ignition and all, it was a criminal’s get away. All he had to do was just walk right in and off with a car and a baby. Which is exactly what had happened. It was two for the price of one. Such simplicity to it all, I had such a hard time trying to understand how someone could be so irresponsible. No matter how much anger I had within me a feeling in me felt special. It was good to know that I was actually OK. While the horrific images of that predicament scorched my mind as I imagined the horror of it all, I could not help but marvel at the miracle of my safe return. For as long as I can remember there has always been a bubble that enveloped me. Outside of that bubble stands my mom with a watchful eye and cautionary words: warning, shielding and protecting. My constant wails of “Mom! I am not a BABY!” would always fall on deaf ears. There is now a little more of an understanding and thankfulness. Present Where do I even begin, well I’m a freshman all over again. A freshman in college that is. I never that I would get to where I am today. With all life has thrown my way I feel as if I’m living success living proof that life happens. While entering my freshman year of college my aunt to whom I am now very close with today gave me a beautiful tanzanite birth stone necklace to with me all the best of luck with my future endeavors. Although college has been nothing but a huge headache, there has been some great times with amazing people. All throughout highschool I never knew that where I am today is where I’d be. I had always contemplated attending college. If this is what I wanted to do with my life. But it’s surely going to become the best years of my life. Just like high school it will probably go extremely fast, like the fact that I’m going to be considered a sophomore now. I am forever grateful I’ve gotten to experience my experience here at Bloomsburg University. I am even more lucky that I am only an hour away from home. Although I feel as if I so far from my family they’re only a phone call away and a 73 mile drive away.
“Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re gonna get” This quote from the movie Forrest Gump can play a theme within this paper. An ongoing theme within my 19 years is success. To which I can see myself being successful in my future. After college and graduate school, I plan to be the best I can be. The economy might be hard an unsteady for some but I plan to shine brighter than family members and colleges. I'm currently majoring in criminal justice, although thats what I always thought I would major in. Life takes unexpected turns. Lately i’ve taken a fond interest in education. Do I see myself being a school teacher, cop, prosecutor lawyer? I don’t know anymore. In highschool I was always told that I should know what I wanna be by my senior year. I always felt pressured to just pick something. Because what’s the point of going to college if you don’t know what you want to do?
Past
October 1996, the day my mother thought she’d never see me again…..Well before I get into detail about that disturbing day lets talk about the beautiful necklace I received. i was 14 and had just came home from a long day of school. My mother and aunt were standing at the bus stop waiting for me with a gift bag that looked to be like an early birthday present. Running off the big yellow school bus I grab the bag and pull out a brown wooden necklace which was passed down a couple generations and somehow ended up in my easily misplacable hands.. It was pretty weird yet thoughtful, a not so impressed look took over my face with a sarcastic smile. I asked what this was for and I while walking home I got the news of a lifetime. October 20th 1996 I was kidnapped. I mean yeah it sounds so silly and unreal even I had a hard time believing it. Why don’t I remember my own kidnapping you might ask ? Because I was only 10 months old! The remembrance of a couple years ago when my grandmother was looking at a DVD of an old recorded news broadcast from 1996, I remembered the name Porter on the screen, also helicopters flying around like eagles as if they were searching for something important. But at such a young age I was not so interested in the news. So I put two and two together and made it so easy to understand. My jaw touched the floor, not literally of course. I felt a bone chilling shudder run through my body as I thought of myself as a helpless baby, kidnapped by a complete stranger and separated from my family. An article was handed over to me as I skimmed over it and read little parts of it out loud but definitely not the whole thing. Reading never excited me so finishing a book, article or sometimes even a sentence seemed too much. Flabbergasted to say the least I felt as if I was being lied to. As if I was on the show Pranked. “Where’s Ashton Kutcher?” I thought in my head.After re-reading the article I came across my aunt’s name. “Why would my aunt have anything to do with this situation at all?” I continued to read and blurted out, “WOW, You did this?” On the article I came across the bone chilling truth. My aunt had left me strapped in an unsupervised car. I mean key in the ignition and all, it was a criminal’s get away. All he had to do was just walk right in and off with a car and a baby. Which is exactly what had happened. It was two for the price of one. Such simplicity to it all, I had such a hard time trying to understand how someone could be so irresponsible. No matter how much anger I had within me a feeling in me felt special. It was good to know that I was actually OK. While the horrific images of that predicament scorched my mind as I imagined the horror of it all, I could not help but marvel at the miracle of my safe return. For as long as I can remember there has always been a bubble that enveloped me. Outside of that bubble stands my mom with a watchful eye and cautionary words: warning, shielding and protecting. My constant wails of “Mom! I am not a BABY!” would always fall on deaf ears. There is now a little more of an understanding and thankfulness.
Present
Where do I even begin, well I’m a freshman all over again. A freshman in college that is. I never that I would get to where I am today. With all life has thrown my way I feel as if I’m living success living proof that life happens. While entering my freshman year of college my aunt to whom I am now very close with today gave me a beautiful tanzanite birth stone necklace to with me all the best of luck with my future endeavors. Although college has been nothing but a huge headache, there has been some great times with amazing people. All throughout highschool I never knew that where I am today is where I’d be. I had always contemplated attending college. If this is what I wanted to do with my life. But it’s surely going to become the best years of my life. Just like high school it will probably go extremely fast, like the fact that I’m going to be considered a sophomore now. I am forever grateful I’ve gotten to experience my experience here at Bloomsburg University. I am even more lucky that I am only an hour away from home. Although I feel as if I so far from my family they’re only a phone call away and a 73 mile drive away.